Capping head



June 28, 1932. A. w. SWENTOR 1,865,402

CAPPING HEAD Filed April 14, 1950 nA nnlqllmnlng INVENTOR, l'jlyafl Zd'JWexz/af.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jun 23, 1932 AUeusr w. swnlvron or. KANSAS crrY, MISSOURI, Assrenoa, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T .oswneo FALLS CORPORATION, or FULTON, nnw yonx, A CORPORATION or new YORK f T Application filed April 14,

This invention relates to capping machines and has for its primary object thewprov sion of auxiliary structures ;to be built into'tthe cappinghead of "the machine which structure will permit the use of caps of the plain i type or, those having lifting flaps aflixedto the face'thereof.

- invention relatesto capping machines which are especially adapted for use in placing: disc shaped caps in the mouths OflTlllk 7 bottles or any similar container adapted to receive and be closed by a disc shaped cap.

It is known in thisrart that capping machines .of the ordinary construction are adapted for feeding Iplain disc shapedcaps 'orcapswhaving' lifting flapsformed therein and lying flush. with the surface thereof.

The use of caps-having stapled-onlifting flaps is precluded by. the ordinary structures found in the many capping machines now in use. It is thereforethe primary object of this invention to provide means and-structure for convertingt-he capping heads of the Well known capping machines into devices which will. be efficient in handling either.

plain caps or those provided with lifting flaps which are stapled or otherwise affixed to the cap so that they lie above the surface of the disc. In the capping heads of most capping machines is to be found a passageway which supports the" cap in i bridged relation to the floor of the passageway. In this, andthe usual manner, a portion ofthe capis spaced above. the fioorof the passageway extending between the cap magazine and the delivery throat ofthe head in a fashion which oftentimes causes thecap lying directly onthe sides of the passageway to tilt out of the plane of the feeding plate so that the edge support in the form of a pm which projects upwardly from thefloor; of the passageway on adiametrical line extending across the capparallel with the sides of the passageway andadjacent the edge. ofthe cap. This con oArrme HEAD,

'1930. Serial No. 444,074.

struction, although extremely simple, is highly elficient in rendering capping heads susceptible of using and properly feeding caps of either the plain design or having lifting flaps affixed thereto." In fact, a capping head constructed in accordance with this invention may have alternate supplies of plain and lifting flap equipped discs fed through the magazine without adjustment and with position around the'edge' of the cap as it is eing fed through the head. With the above broad objects in view and having in mind de tails of construction which will be clearly set forth during the courseof the specification, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawing wherein but the preferred form of the invention has been illustrated and ap plied to the well known head of a capping machine. I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a capping machine equipped with auxiliary structures in accordance with this invention, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section along the line IIII of Fig. 1 showing a cap in position ready to be moved into the passageway by the feed plate.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary vertical cross section-taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, and,

Fig. eis a similar section taken on line IVIVof Fig. 2.

Like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several viewskand the numeral 6 indicates the magazine of an ordinary capping head which" receives disc shaped container caps 8 from a tube of the same as shown in Fig. 1. In the instance shown, and to fully describe the valuable features of this invention, each of the disc staple or similar affixing means 12. This staple 12 is passed through the lifting flap adjacent the end nearest the edge of cap 8 which allows the free end to be raised to a perpendicular position whereby the flap is used as a lifting element to remove the cap from the bottle 14:. The well known feed plate 16 afl'ixed to a reciprocating bracket 18 is used to move the caps 8 from the magazine 6 to the delivery throat 20 through passageway 22 which forms a way between the magazine 6 and delivery throat 20. Feed plate 16 is of a thickness equal to, or a few thousandths of an inch less, than. the'thickness of thecap 8 .and follows the cap through until it drops into a delivery throat 20.

' Any suitable actuating mechanism, such as the;levers 24, may beused to'actuate the feed plate 16 and theplunger arm 26 is reciprocated vertically to force the cap v8 into the mouth of bottle 14 after a cap 8 has been properly delivered into throat 20. This construction and the features mentioned to this point are common in the art and no novelty lies therein so far as this particular invention is concerned, except in a combination way with the hereinafter described parts which are added tothe commonlyused capping'machine. .rassageway22 has each of its sides formed to present aipair of shoulders 28 which are arcuate adjacent their one end as shown in Fig. 2and: which end abruptlyat thewall ofthe delivery throat 20 in a manner. which causes a portion of cap 8to extend across passageway 22 in a bridgingfashion. The floor 30 of passageway 22 lies in a plane below the planes of the shoulders 28 and whencap 8 is supported by the shoulders as shown in the drawing, it is eX- tremely desirable to provide a support pin 32 which projects upwardly from floor 30 to engage the lower surface of the lowermost cap 8 in magazine 6. This expedient is vastly important in that support 32 precludes any rocking movement on the part of cap 8 which. would raise the periphery thereof to be engaged by'feed plate 16 to a point where when the feed plate 16 is actuated it would not properly engage cap 8 and would therefore jam the machine by passing beneath the lowermost cap 8 to force it upwardly against the far edge 34; of magazine 6.

It is not possible to overcome this tendency on the part of the cap 8 to tilt by lifting the level of floor 30 because of the various posi tions whichthe staple 12 might take around the periphery of the cap 8 when it is traveling through passageway The head of this pin 32 ,is dome shaped to allow itto slidably engage the lower surface of the cap 8 and even though the staple 12 would strike the top of pin 32 it would ride thereover without affecting the feeding qualities of the head.

Shoulders 28 are spaced apart sufficiently to clear the turned under ends of staple 12, yet will support the cap 8 on the same plane as feed plate 16 as shown in Fig. 2. It is desirable to have pin 32 positioned intermediate the sides of passageway 22 and adjacent the periphery of the cap 8 on a diametrical line extending parallel to the'line of travel andvv substantially parallel to the sides and point of pin 32 should lie in a horizontal plane the same as the horizontalplane of the sides ofpassageway 22 to insure proper po+v sitioning of the caps Itxis obvious that this pin 32 maybe built into the head without a'g reat deal of trouble and the value of thesame manifests itself at once to those skilled inthe art. As a matter of fact, it has been discovered that'the addition of this pin or a similar supportrenders the capping head positive in its action and absolutely insures proper feeding at all times, regardless of theconstruction of the cap used.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: I

1. In' a capping machine, a cap adelivery throat, a passageway joining the magazine and throat, a feed plate to successively deliver caps from the magazine to the throat through said way, and a support positioned in the passageway intermediate the sides thereof to slidably engage the lower side of the caps as they are delivered.

2. In a capping machine, a cap magazine, a delivery throat, a passageway joining the magazine and throat, a reciprocating feed platetosuccessively deliver the caps from the magazine to the throat through'said way. shoulders formed along the two'sides of said passageway and a support positioned in the passageway intermediate the shoulders thereof to engage thelower side of the caps as they are delivered. r

3. In a capping machine, a cap magazine. a delivery throat. a passageway joining the magazine and throat,'said passageway having stepped. shouldered sides, a floor disposed in a plane below the plane of said shoulders and-a pin projecting upwardly from said floor into said passageway intermediate the shouldered sides thereof to engage beneath each can successively as it is presentedto the passageway from said magazine.

4. Ina capping machine, a cap magazine, a delivery throat, a passageway joining the magazine,

magazine and throat, a floor intermediate the sides of said passageway dlsposed on a plane below the plane of the sides thereof whereby below the plane ofthe sidesthereof whereby the caps arerheld above said floor by said sides, a pin extending upwardly from the floor to engage the lower side of the caps respectively intermediate the cap supporting sides of the passageway and dome shaped head formed by the upper end of said pin to permit unobstructed sliding movement by the caps thereover.

6. In a capping machine, a cap magazine, a delivery throat, a passageway joining the magazine and throat, said passageway having sides disposed in a plane above the floor thereof whereby the lowermost cap of the magazine is supported by said sides to bridge the passageway above said floor, a pin engaging beneath said cap at a point adjacent its periphery on a diameter thereof parallel to the sides of said passageway.

dered sides thereof to preclude tipping of said cap downwardly into the passageway toward the floor thereof.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

AUGUST W. SWENTOR.

7. In a capping machine, a cap magazine,

a delivery throat, a passageway oining the magazine and throat, a feed plate to successively del ver caps from the magazine to the throat along said passageway, shoulders formed by the sides of said passageway and the end thereof adjacent said feed plate to support said caps with a portion of their periphery adjacent said delivery throat in bridging relation to the floor of said passageway and a pin engaging beneath said bridging cap intermediate the sides of said passageway between feed magazine and delivery throat whereby tilting of the cap downwardly into the passageway at the bridging portion of the periphery thereof is precluded.

8. In a capping machine for the application of disc-shaped bottle caps, a cap magazine to carry a vertical staclt of said caps, a delivery throat to receive a portion of the bottle being capped, a reciprocating feed plate to successively deliver caps from the magazine to the throat along said passageway, continuous shoulders formed by the two delivery throat and intermediate the shoul- 

